Richmond Council rolls out food recycling to more homes

Richmond Council is continuing to roll out its food waste recycling scheme to properties in the borough with communal waste and recycling facilities. A further 3,300 properties will receive food waste collections by the end of March 2023.

Councillor Julia Neden-Watts, Chair of the Environment, Sustainability, Culture and Sports Committee said:

“Tackling food waste is important for the environment and we are pleased that more homes will now be able to access the recycling service.

“In the borough of Richmond upon Thames, an estimated average of 153kg of food is wasted by each household every year. Producing all this food waste generates around 48,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

“The food waste recycling service is a key element in tackling the problem of food products going into general waste bins. Clearly, it’s best if residents can purchase the food they need and eat it up rather than throw it away, using any leftovers in other meals. And for some things like raw vegetable peelings, home composting can be a good option, if there is space. Otherwise, using the food recycling service is a simple habit to adopt to keep food out of general waste bins and reduce carbon emissions associated with managing this waste."

Residents who are yet to receive this service can reduce and recycle their food waste in various ways; communal home composting, properly storing food to maximise freshness and using a meal planner. More tips can be found on the Love Food Hate Waste website.

Residents will be notified if they are part of the current roll out by the end of March 2023. Kitchen caddies, a leaflet and a free starter roll of compostable liners will be delivered to every household covered by this roll out. Further premises will start receiving this service later in 2023.

If you would like to find out if your flats are suitable for the new collection service, please contact foodrecycling@richmond.gov.uk.